by Amanda van der Gulik
Do you get that incredible urge to clear out the old, clean off all the dust, open all the windows, let the world outside back in, and refresh each spring?
You’re not alone. It’s a wonderful feeling to crawl out from under winter’s cold, dark claws and open your arms wide to embrace the promise of spring and summer to come!
That’s why there are always so many yard sales each spring. We want to have a fresh start, we want to clean out the old and bring in the new...and that’s a good thing.
What happens is we get so closterphobic with our old ‘stuff’, so fed up with all the old things that no longer serve us that we are finally open and ready to accept the new.
This is a great opportunity for us to make those hard changes that we’ve been avoiding till now. It’s also one of the best times of year to clear out all of your old goals that no longer propel you forward and update or create new ones that will further your future in a way that you truly desire.
This is also a great chance for us to really teach our children a life lesson that will serve them well for many years to come.
It’s good to set goals...everywhere you look, you will see books, experts, teachers, advisors, telling us to set goals, to focus on them, to take action, etc.
But how often do they tell us to clean up those goals, to take a new look at them, update them, wipe off the dust, make those goals exciting and new?
Hardly ever...but the truth is that a large majority of our goals never do get accomplished!
Why?
Because we lose the excitement, the desire, to make them happen. They get too hard. They seem to distant. We give up.
But we don’t have to! And wouldn’t you love to help your child or teen stay motivated and on track for life?
How?
By Spring Cleaning our Goals!
Yup, you read that right. It’s time to take out that list of old goals, go through each and everyone of them. Let those that excite you take on new life, and those that make you cringe get to go in the trash.
Setting goals is not about making you stick to goals that you outgrow, it’s about growing with your goals and having them grow with you too!
I want my children to know that it’s okay for our goals to change, to grow, to exceed what they once thought were possible. I also want them to know that we sometimes need to let go of our goals so new, better ones can come to the forefront.
The last thing we want to do is force our child to stick to a goal they set years ago that no longer serves them. Let’s help them learn how to clear out those old ones and build new, bigger, brighter ones that will ensure that happy future that we all desire for our kids and for ourselves too!
Each spring when that wonderful feeling overcomes our souls, take that as your annual goal-setting/renewing alarm to sit down and focus on your goals of the past and sort them out one-by-one into three diffferent piles:
1. Trash – these are the goals that you aboslutely know, without a doubt in your heart, that no longer serve you. You are better off without these ones to drag you down and hold you back from your more important goals.
Action: Exactly what the name implies, throw it out! Take it off your vision board, remove it from your moving vision board. Don’t spend any more of your precious time on these ones!
2. Reconsider – these are the goals that you still feel you ‘ought’ to achieve but your heart just isn’t into it any more.
Action: Store these ones for next year. If you find a year from now that you have not even thought of this goal, then trash it next year. If on the other hand you find yourself thinking about this every so often, nagging at your soul, then upgrade it to your ‘Keep’ pile.
3. Keep – these the goals that still excite you, that you have been putting effort into and really, truly want to achieve from the bottom of your soul.
Action: Create a new vision board for these goals, update your old ones. Create a moving vision board that you can watch first thing every morning when you wake up to start off your day on track to achieving your goals, and last thing every night before you fall asleep so ideas can sneak into your dreams and help you soar!
Here’s to both your success and your child’s!
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
Do you get that incredible urge to clear out the old, clean off all the dust, open all the windows, let the world outside back in, and refresh each spring?
You’re not alone. It’s a wonderful feeling to crawl out from under winter’s cold, dark claws and open your arms wide to embrace the promise of spring and summer to come!
That’s why there are always so many yard sales each spring. We want to have a fresh start, we want to clean out the old and bring in the new...and that’s a good thing.
What happens is we get so closterphobic with our old ‘stuff’, so fed up with all the old things that no longer serve us that we are finally open and ready to accept the new.
This is a great opportunity for us to make those hard changes that we’ve been avoiding till now. It’s also one of the best times of year to clear out all of your old goals that no longer propel you forward and update or create new ones that will further your future in a way that you truly desire.
This is also a great chance for us to really teach our children a life lesson that will serve them well for many years to come.
It’s good to set goals...everywhere you look, you will see books, experts, teachers, advisors, telling us to set goals, to focus on them, to take action, etc.
But how often do they tell us to clean up those goals, to take a new look at them, update them, wipe off the dust, make those goals exciting and new?
Hardly ever...but the truth is that a large majority of our goals never do get accomplished!
Why?
Because we lose the excitement, the desire, to make them happen. They get too hard. They seem to distant. We give up.
But we don’t have to! And wouldn’t you love to help your child or teen stay motivated and on track for life?
How?
By Spring Cleaning our Goals!
Yup, you read that right. It’s time to take out that list of old goals, go through each and everyone of them. Let those that excite you take on new life, and those that make you cringe get to go in the trash.
Setting goals is not about making you stick to goals that you outgrow, it’s about growing with your goals and having them grow with you too!
I want my children to know that it’s okay for our goals to change, to grow, to exceed what they once thought were possible. I also want them to know that we sometimes need to let go of our goals so new, better ones can come to the forefront.
The last thing we want to do is force our child to stick to a goal they set years ago that no longer serves them. Let’s help them learn how to clear out those old ones and build new, bigger, brighter ones that will ensure that happy future that we all desire for our kids and for ourselves too!
Each spring when that wonderful feeling overcomes our souls, take that as your annual goal-setting/renewing alarm to sit down and focus on your goals of the past and sort them out one-by-one into three diffferent piles:
1. Trash – these are the goals that you aboslutely know, without a doubt in your heart, that no longer serve you. You are better off without these ones to drag you down and hold you back from your more important goals.
Action: Exactly what the name implies, throw it out! Take it off your vision board, remove it from your moving vision board. Don’t spend any more of your precious time on these ones!
2. Reconsider – these are the goals that you still feel you ‘ought’ to achieve but your heart just isn’t into it any more.
Action: Store these ones for next year. If you find a year from now that you have not even thought of this goal, then trash it next year. If on the other hand you find yourself thinking about this every so often, nagging at your soul, then upgrade it to your ‘Keep’ pile.
3. Keep – these the goals that still excite you, that you have been putting effort into and really, truly want to achieve from the bottom of your soul.
Action: Create a new vision board for these goals, update your old ones. Create a moving vision board that you can watch first thing every morning when you wake up to start off your day on track to achieving your goals, and last thing every night before you fall asleep so ideas can sneak into your dreams and help you soar!
Here’s to both your success and your child’s!
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
